1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter for an earthmoving, excavation backhoe that allows the orientation of the bucket relative to the backhoe vehicle chassis to be quickly and easily reversed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention is an adapter that allows reversal of the orientation of a backhoe that is used to move large scoops of soil or other excavation material. A conventional backhoe has an elongated arm to which a backhoe bucket is attached. The open mouth of the bucket is oriented to face the chassis of the backhoe. The bucket is coupled to the backhoe arm, typically by means of a releaseable coupler.
Two popular versions of such a coupler are sold by Woods Equipment Company and are know in the trade as the Wain-Roy-style coupler and the Gannon-style coupler. Both of these coupling devices are formed of open frame structures that are attached near the end of an L-shaped or dogleg-shaped bucket guide link member that is attached to the arm of the backhoe. The coupler member has a hinged connection coupled to the backhoe arm and a pair of hooks that are directed back toward the chassis of the backhoe. The bucket guide link member is pushed and pulled by a hydraulic piston to rotate the coupler member downwardly so that the hooks are forced back toward the chassis of the vehicle, or pulled so that the hooks are drawn away from the chassis of the vehicle. The hooks engage a transverse four-inch diameter steel tube located at the top edge of the mouth of the bucket opposite the scooping teeth thereof.
In the Gannon-style and Wain-Roy-style coupling systems, a transverse coupling faceplate joins the ends of the outboard sides of the coupler frame together. The transverse faceplate has an opening or eye that receives a pin that also passes through a corresponding eye in a plate or latch pin tang projecting from the backside of the bucket. The latch pin tang is spaced some distance from the four-inch transverse steel back cross-connecting tube. A hook receiving cavity is located in the backside of the bucket between the back cross-connecting tube and the latch pin tang.
To attach the bucket to the arm of the backhoe, the hooks are directed underneath the four-inch transverse steel back cross-connecting tube so that they engage the backside of the bucket from underneath the tube. A releaseable locking pin is engaged in the mutually aligned eyes on the transverse faceplate of the coupler and on the latch pin tang on the back of the bucket of the backhoe. The bucket can be quickly released by withdrawing the releaseable locking pin and rotating the hooks out of engagement from beneath the steel tube on the backside of the bucket.
In some circumstances it is highly desirable for a backhoe bucket to be reoriented so as to scoop forwardly, away from the chassis of the backhoe vehicle. This would be advantageous, for example, for scooping out soil from beneath a flat slab, such as a roadway.
Until the present invention there has been no system for easily adapting the Wain-Roy-style or Gannon-style couplers to allow the orientation of a backhoe bucket to be reversed. The present invention provides an adapter that is extremely simple in construction and very effective for this purpose.
The adapter of the present invention is formed of a pair of side plates joined together at one end by a transverse plate and at the other end by a four-inch diameter steel tube. A pair of hooks, corresponding to the hooks of the backhoe lift member, project from the bottom of the adapter, but are directed in the opposite direction from the hooks on the backhoe coupling member.
To reverse the orientation of the backhoe bucket, the backhoe bucket reverse adapter of the present invention is interposed between the Wain-Roy-style or Gannon-style backhoe coupler and the excavation bucket. The backhoe bucket reverse adapter of the present invention has a corresponding backhoe arm attachment tang with an eye that allows it to be coupled to the eye on the transverse coupling faceplate of the Wain-Roy-style or Gannon-style coupler. It also has a bucket attachment tang with an eye that allows connection of the adapter to the eye-flange on the backside of the backhoe bucket. By interposing the adapter of the present invention between the coupler and the bucket, the backhoe bucket can be reversed relative to the backhoe vehicle chassis in orientation.